#nirvanasutra

— DEFEATING MĀRA — (pt.4) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra - chapter 4 . There are also people who are not naturally bold but pretend to be so by grabbing a bow, a sword, or some kind of weapon. Having thus equipped themselves, they march up to the troops [facing battle] and shout in a loud voice: “Do not fear those people! If they look at you and see you have no fear of them, you can be assured that before long they will break ranks and run like thieving dogs.” . Good man, the Tathāgata speaks to the śrāvakas in the same way: DO NOT FEAR MĀRA PĀPĪYAS! IF MĀRA PĀPĪYAS TRANSFORMS HIMSELF INTO THE BODY OF A BUDDHA AND COMES TO WHERE YOU ARE, YOU MUST RESOLVE WITH FIRMNESS OF MIND TO DEFEAT THAT DEMON. At that point Māra will then lose heart, no longer enjoying [his pursuit of you], and go away. . Good man, just as a person of strength does not follow the ways of others, so it is with the student of the Mahāyāna who, upon hearing the discourses in various abstruse texts, enjoys them and does not recoil in fear. Why is this so? Because people who study the Mahāyāna in this way have in the past made offerings to, showed respect for, and paid obeisance to innumerable, trillions of buddhas. So even if there were innumerable hundreds of billions of Māra-led hordes desperate to seize them by intimidation or flattery, [students of the Mahāyāna] would ultimately face those situations without fear. . Photo by: Victoria Borodinova, Russia . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #Enlightenment #mindfulness #loveandlight #goodvibes #positvevibes #meditator #nirvanasutra #Knowledge #awakening #wisdom #namaste #nammyohorengekyo #fearless #mastery #power #yogalife #om #vipassana #calm #thursday #photography #art #amazingplaces #power #wellness #spiritual https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1x9uLlRHT/?igshid=vkc9kn5mxf4y

— 4 KINDS OF PEOPLE - (pt.3 of 3) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra - chapter 4 . To say that when confronting their last days anāgāmins become afraid would be inappropriate. Why are they called “anāgāmins”? It is because they do not return, as I have explained earlier, and because whatever transgressions they may have committed no longer pollute them. In their coursing through the rounds [of saṃsāra] I call them bodhisattvas. Upon receiving a prophecy of their future buddhahood, it will not be long before they attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. These, then, are called the third type of person. . People of the fourth type are known as arhats. An arhat cuts away the defilements within himself, puts down his heavy burden, attains his personal goal, does what is to be done, resides at the tenth stage, attains autonomous wisdom, and manifests himself in different forms depending on what someone asks for. Thus adorned [with morality, meditation, and wisdom], WHENEVER THEY WANT TO COMPLETE THE [BUDDHA’S WAY], THAT IS WHAT THEY WILL DO. Capable of accomplishing such immeasurable merit, they are thus called arhats. . When these four individuals of whom I speak appear, they succeed in bringing much in the way of blessings and mercy to the world, for they are supports for the world, [sources of] serene bliss for humans and gods alike. They are the most respected, the most excellent among gods and humans, and are thus something like tathāgatas themselves. I call them “THE BEST AMONG PEOPLE,” for they are the foundations of refuge. . Photo by: Sarbajit Sen, India . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #Enlightenment #mindfulness #loveandlight #goodvibes #positvevibes #meditator #nirvanasutra #Knowledge #awakening #wisdom #namaste #yogalife #photography #buddhistmonk #temple #spiritual #truth #art #calm #vipassana #refuge #blogger #lifeforce #alchemy #amazingplaces https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeeLv0F9tS/?igshid=nr4xnw0y4d3

— DEFEATING MĀRA — (pt.6 of 6) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra - chapter 4 . [These students of the Mahāyāna] first use the expedient means at their disposal to overcome the māras, compelling them to become compliant and appropriately tamed, as a result of which they can then expound to them in detail various aspects of this wondrous dharma. Upon seeing the taming of the māras, the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas lose their fear and at that point they will look upon the unsurpassed true-dharma that is the Mahāyāna with aspirational faith and say, in effect, “From now on we should no longer create obstructions to this true-dharma.” . In addition, good man, while śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas may be frightened of the defilements, those who study the Mahāyāna have no fear at all. Cultivating the Mahāyāna has that kind of power. Because of this causal principle, everything I said earlier about enabling śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to overcome māras does not pertain to the Mahāyāna. . THIS SUBTLE SUTRA OF THE GREAT NIRVANA CANNOT DISAPPEAR; IT IS SO EXTRAORDINARY, SO SPECIAL. IF SOMEONE HEARS IT AND AFTER HEARING IT ACCEPTS ITS MESSAGE, THAT PERSON WILL COME TO BELIEVE THAT THE TATHĀGATA IS AN ETERNALLY ABIDING DHARMA. Someone like this is an extraordinary marvel, like the udumbara flower. And after my nirvāṇa, if there are people who will have the opportunity to hear subtle scriptures of the Mahāyāna like this one and respond with faith and reverence, know that for one hundred thousand kalpas into the future they will not fall into any unfortunate rebirths. . Photo by: Valeriy Ryasanyas, Siberia . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #Enlightenment #mindfulness #loveandlight #goodvibes #positvevibes #meditator #nirvanasutra #Knowledge #awakening #wisdom #spiritual #truth #om #namaste #mind #nammyohorengekyo #friday #power #universalwisdom #photography #silhouette #sunset #art #calm #travelphotography https://www.instagram.com/p/CFC7j2Kly19/?igshid=1a71m7flw2uvs

— DEFEATING MĀRA — (pt.3) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra - chapter 4 . The Buddha said to Kāśyapa: Good man, what I have said is just that. To think otherwise would be wrong. Good man, I HAVE EXPLAINED [THE IMPORTANCE OF] SUBDUING MĀRA TO ŚRĀVAKAS WHO HAVE [ONLY] PHYSICAL VISION WITH WHICH TO SEE THINGS. BUT THIS IS NOT AN EXPLANATION FOR PEOPLE WHO STUDY THE MAHĀYĀNA. People who are śrāvakas, even when they have divine vision, [because of their predilections] I generally refer to them as “those with physical vision.” THE STUDENTS OF THE MAHĀYĀNA, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE [ONLY] PHYSICAL VISION, I GENERALLY REFER TO THEM AS “THOSE WITH BUDDHA VISION.” WHY IS THIS? BECAUSE THE MAHĀYĀNA SUTRAS ARE WHAT I CALL THE “BUDDHA VEHICLE,” AND THIS BUDDHA VEHICLE IS THE BEST OF THE BEST. . Good man, just as there are those who are powerful and courageous, there are also those who are weak and who betake themselves to the strong on whom they depend. The strong ones commonly teach the weak, saying: “You should hold the bow and take the arrow like this. You must learn how to use the halberd, the long hook, or a rope like that.” . They also will say: Although facing battle is like walking on swords, you must not let fear take hold of you. WHEN YOU COME UPON MEN OR GODS [IN BATTLE], REGARD THEM AS INSIGNIFICANT AND WEAK. YOU MUST GENERATE THOUGHTS OF STRENGTH TO MAKE YOURSELF POWERFUL. . Photo by: Jake Young . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #meditator #Knowledge #awakening #truth #om #namaste #vipassana #loveandlight #positvevibes #goodvibrations #spiritual #blogger #yogalife #nirvanasutra #mastery #fearless #india #stupa #power #strength #photography #temple #mindfulness #wisdom #art https://www.instagram.com/p/CDwrS5ulgM9/?igshid=21sxecfszzcp

— 4 KINDS OF PEOPLE - (pt.2) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra - chapter 4 . People of the second type, known as a srotāpannas or sakṛdāgāmins, are those who, if they obtain the true teaching, will accept and retain that true-dharma in their memory. Upon hearing the dharma from the Buddha, they will take what they hear and write it down, make copies of it, accept it, memorize it, recite it, and then turn around and share it with others. But if, after hearing the [Buddha’s] dharma, someone did not write down, accept, memorize, or explain those teachings to others, and if he claimed that accumulating slaves and other impure things are allowed by the Buddha, his actions would be inappropriate. . Such people may be regarded as belonging to the second group of believers, but they would not have reached the second or the third stage. I do call them bodhisattvas, however, and they will have received a prophecy of their future buddhahood. . People of the third type are known as anāgāmins. Anāgāmins discredit the true-dharma if they say it allows the keeping of female slaves, male slaves, or impure things, the accepting of textual writings from heretical faiths, and when they become hindered by adventitious defilements or have [their thinking] obfuscated by old defilements as well. If an anāgāmin conceals the actual relics of the Tathāgata, he will be stricken by an externally visible illness or injured by the poisonous snakes of the four major elements. Arguing for a “self” is unreasonable [for anāgāmins]; affirming “nonself” is reasonable for them. [Claiming that] whenever someone receives a new body there are eighty thousand worms [in it] is unreasonable. But [claiming that], having freed themselves from sensual desire once and for all, they do not spill any semen even while dreaming, that is reasonable for them. . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #Enlightenment #mindfulness #loveandlight #positvevibes #goodvibes #meditator #nirvanasutra #happyfriday #awakening #calm #nature #photography #art #wisdom #Knowledge #knowthyself #happiness #goodevening #Spiritual #yogalife #om #namaste #vipassana #friday https://www.instagram.com/p/CDUVqR-lxpI/?igshid=1od4lrqu6ya9e

— LONGEVITY [part 2] — (pt.6) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra: chapter 1 . This body is like that as well, without a self and without a master. World-Honored One, just like the flower of the seven-leaved saptaparṇa tree has no scent, THIS BODY HAS NO SELF AND NO MASTER AS WELL. In this way our thoughts are always directed toward cultivating the discernment of nonself. It is just as the Buddha has explained to us: . ALL dharmas are devoid of self or anything pertaining to self. Monks, YOU SHOULD CULTIVATE THIS UNDERSTANDING, for having done so will remove your egotism. And after one has abandoned their egotism, that person will thereupon enter nirvāṇa. . World-Honored One, just as it makes no sense for someone to say that traces of the birds in the sky are visible, it makes no sense that such views [of “I” or “mine”] would be held by anyone capable of cultivating a consciousness of nonself. . At that point the World-Honored One praised the bhikṣus, saying: “Excellent, excellent! You have cultivated your discernment of nonself quite beautifully.” . Then the bhikṣus spoke to the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One. We have not only cultivated our perception of nonself, we have also cultivated other discerning perceptions: that is, WE ARE CONCERNED WITH WHAT IS SUFFERING AND WHAT IS IMPERMANENCE IN ADDITION TO WHAT IS NONSELF. World-Honored One. Like an intoxicated person, whose mind in a daze sees mountains, rivers, stone walls, grasses and trees, palaces, houses, the sun, moon, or stars as if they were all spinning round, World-Honored One, ANYONE WHO DOES NOT CULTIVATE HIS PERCEPTION OF SUFFERING, IMPERMANENCE, AND NONSELF [IS DISORIENTED AND] CANNOT BE CALLED A [TRUE] “NOBLE SEEKER.” Undisciplined in many ways, such a person transmigrates in the cycle of birth and death. World-Honored One, these are the reasons why we carefully practice these discernments. . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #meditator #wisdom #Knowledge #awakening #Spiritual #Consciousness #enlightenment #namaste #yogalife #nirvanasutra #Enlightenment #mindfulness #loveandlight #goodvibes #positvevibes #blogger #artwork #sunday #truth #vipassana #transcendentalmeditation https://www.instagram.com/p/B-U4cFZl1VF/?igshid=b43mcg0ssbxl

— LONGEVITY [part 2] — (pt.11) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra: chapter 1 . [THE 4 INVERSIONS] . YOU SHOULD ALSO UNDERSTAND that THE PERCEPTIONS OF IMPERMANENCE AND SUFFERING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN CULTIVATING [ARE NOT] TRUE REALITIES. . The situation is analogous to a group of people going out on a lake in boats to enjoy themselves in springtime and they inadvertently drop a jeweled necklace made of vaiḍūryainto the water, thereby losing it. At that moment everyone jumps into the water to look for it. . Competing with one another in the water, they grab rocks, vegetation, or gravel, each declaring, “I have found it!” and jubilantly holding it up for all to see, only then realizing that they have something else entirely, as the necklace is still in the water. By virtue of the power of the gemstones, however, the water becomes clear. Everyone in the crowd can then see the necklace in the water just as if they were looking up into the sky and seeing the shape of the moon. While all this is going on, there is one wise man in the crowd who skillfully slips into the water and grabs the necklace. . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #meditator #Knowledge #wisdom #awakening #Consciousness #truth #Spirituallife #waterfall #monksjourney #nature #nirvanasutra #nammyohorengekyo #photography #art #calm #vipassana #mindfulness #loveandlight #positvevibes #goodvibes #yogalife #Enlightenment #Mastery #power #freedom https://www.instagram.com/p/B-chFTwFwkz/?igshid=1k70rcwsl4238

— LONGEVITY [part 2] — (pt.5) . The Maha Parinirvāṇa Sutra: chapter 1 . At that time the bhikṣus, upon hearing that the Buddha World-Honored One would surely pass into nirvāṇa, were all despondent. The hair on their body stood on end and tears welled up in their eyes. Bowing down to the feet of the Buddha, they circumambulated him numerous times and finally spoke up: . World-Honored One. YOU HAVE READILY EXPLAINED THE NOTIONS OF IMPERMANENCE, SUFFERING, EMPTINESS, AND NONSELF. World-Honored One, just as among the footprints of all living beings there is nothing that surpasses the footprint of an elephant, so too is the concept of impermanence paramount among all concepts. ANYONE WHO IS DILIGENT IN HIS CULTIVATION OF THIS WILL BE ABLE TO ELIMINATE ALL CRAVING IN THE REALM OF DESIRE, all attachment in the realms of form and nonform, spiritual ignorance, arrogance, and even conceptions of impermanence itself. World-Honored One. If the Tathāgata has abandoned the concept of impermanence, then he should not enter nirvāṇa now. If he has not abandoned it, then why would he tell us that cultivating the concept of impermanence will free us from attachment, ignorance, arrogance, and even the concept of impermanence itself in regard to the triple world… . . . World-Honored One, it is like someone who appreciates the banana tree as something solid, WHEN IN FACT IT IS NO SUCH THING. World-Honored One, LIVING BEINGS ARE LIKE THAT. They may appreciate a self, a person, an individual living being, a life span, a personality, an observer, an actor, or an experiencer—SEEING THEM ALL AS REAL. BUT IN FACT THESE [IDENTITIES] ARE ALSO FALSELY DEDUCED [FROM EXPERIENCE]. This is how we cultivate our consciousness of nonself. World-Honored One, these notions are analogous to wine sediment—of no use whatsoever. . #Buddha #Buddhism #Buddhist #Dharma #meditation #meditator #Knowledge #wisdom #awakening #Consciousness #mind #om #Spiritual #mindfulness #loveandlight #positvevibes #goodvibes #nirvanasutra #Mastery #sunrise #photography #art #Enlightenment #vipassana #sunday #ego #wellbeing #peace #spiritualvibes #natural https://www.instagram.com/p/B-U4IFglnV6/?igshid=1o8q8gitianpl